Harmala

Harmala, also known at various times as Telepathine and Banisterine, is a blanket term for a group of naturally occurring beta-carbolines including harmine, harmaline, and others. The harmala alkaloids are monoamine oxidase inhibitors. They also act as serotonin antagonists and CNS stimulants.

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Harmala is found most commonly in the seeds of the Middle Eastern plant Harmal (Peganum harmala, from which the name derives), commonly known as Syrian Rue. It occurs in the seeds in concentrations of roughly 3%, though tests have documented anywhere from 2-7% as natural sources tend to vary widely in chemical makeup. It is also found in the vine Banisteriopsis caapi in lower concentrations of around .3-1.2%. In Caapi, it is used in combination with a DMT containing admixture to form a South American Entheogen known as Ayahuasca; in high enough doses, it is slightly hallucinogenic on its own.

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Harmala alkaloids are also found many other plants, such as tobacco and passion flower.

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Beta-carboline: β-Carboline (9H-pyrid--indole) is an organic amine that is the prototype of a class of compounds known as β-Carbolines....

Alkaloid: An alkaloid is a nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and animals. The name derives from the word alkaline; originally, the term was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base (an amine in modern terms). Alkaloids are found as secondary metabolites in plants (e...

Monoamine oxidase inhibitor: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are a class of antidepressant drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression. Due to potentially serious dietary and drug interactions they are used less frequently than other classes of antidepressant drugs (for example tricyclic antidepressants and selective ...